Air-washer fob internal-combustion engines



P. S. TICE.

AIR WASHER FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.25| 1919.

w a d D a H w a, 3 p,

UNITED STATES PERCIVAL S. TICE, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

AIR-WASHER FOB. INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 24, 1921.

Application filed August 25, 1919. Serial No. 319,602.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, PERCIVAL S. Tron, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and the State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Air-Washers for Internal-Combustion Engines, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part thereof.

The purpose of this invention is to provide an improved means for washing the air for admixture with the liquid fuel for supplying an internal combustion engine, and simultaneously moistening the air for the advantage afi'orded by such moisture. It consists in the elements and features of construction shown and described, as indicated in the claims.

In the drawings:

Fi re 1 is a trans-axial section of one cham er of a device embodying this invention.

Fig. 2 is an axial section of both chambers of the device.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail view, partly sectional, showing the water-delive conduit from the water chamber to the air inlet conduit, section being made axially with respect to the valve and its chamber which controls the water inlet, and the discharge or terminal member of the water conduit being partly broken away and shown in axial section with a line of discharge apertures.

Fig. 4 is a section at the line, 4fl, on

The device shown in the drawings comprises a cylindrical body member, A, which is partitioned into two chambers by a transaxial partition, B, the chamber, C, at one side of said partition being the water reservoir, the chamber, D, at the other side of said partition being a chamber in which the washing of the air takes place and in which a partial vacuum is produced b its connection with the engine intake. a is the air inlet conduit which is a convolute duct mounted within the chamber, D, having its intake end registering with the aperture, (1, in the periphery of said chamber, D, with its delivery mouth situated at substantially the same level as said intake mouth, d, facing downwardl and provided with a coarse strainer, e. T is air inlet conduit is convolute in a vertical plane and is narrowed at the lowest point of its convolute course, as

seen at E for confining the air current passmg therethrough to a relatively thin body which may be traversed by the water shower delivered across the convolute passage by the water connections which will now be described.

F is the water conduit which leads from the lower part of the water chamber, C, through the partition, B, into the air washing chamber, D, not so as to discharge therein except as hereinafter described, but extending into said chamber at a position which brings it into immediate contact with the upper side of the convolute air inlet conduit, E, at the lower part of the convolute course thereof, at which, as above stated, said conduit is reduced in cross section. The water duct, F, is designed to be lodged permanently upon the upper outer surface of said convolute air inlet conduit,

and the two parts have registering perforations, 7, for discharge of the water from the water conduit pipe into the air inlet conduit, E, crosswise of the latter at its point of reduction in cross-section. The water conduit, F, has a branch, F which extends into and is in open communication with the lower part of the chamber, D, over the center of the sediment pocket, H, with which the chamber, D, is provided at the lower side. This sediment pocket is provided with a cap or closure, I, adapted to be screwed into it at the lower end, said cap carrying a cup, 2', which protrudes up within the sediment pocket forming a substantial lining thereof and really constituting the pocket itself in which the sediment accumulation is received so as to be removed with the cap or lug.

. he water conduit pipe, F, is provided with a fitting F, at its inlet end, which is provided with a Valve J, which seats upwardly, and which is held normally seated by a spring K, reacting against a stop k, on the stem, and against the upper end of said fitting, F The stem, L extends up through the height of the chamber, C, having its upper end guided in a spider, L, mounted in the filling aperture, 0, of the chamber, C, which filling aperture is closed by an airtight seating plug, C The length of the stem is such that when the plug is screwed home for closing the chamber, C, air-tight, the valve, J, is pushed off its seat; but when the chamber is opened by removal of the plug for filling, the valve is normally seated by the spring, K, so that the water with which the chamber is filled does not flow through the water duct into the chamber, D, nor into the air-inlet conduit, E.

The detail construction of the valve, J, and its seat are shown in Fig. 3, being that the seat, 7, is conical, and the valve, J, is cylindrical for seating by its circumferential edge on the sloping conical seat about midway of the slope. A square retaining washer, J is provided below the valve, the diagonal of this washer being the diameter of the bore which terminates-in the conical seat, f whereby guidance for the valve is afforded by the corners of the washer following this cylindrical bore, and required clearance for water is obtained at the segmental spaoes between the square washer and the circumscribed cylindrical wall of the bore.

The operation of the device described is as follows: The reservoir C being filled with water through the filling aperture 0, the plug C is screwed in to seal the filling aperture. As described, the screwing in of plug C causes the valve J to be opened, thus communicating chamber C with chamber D and the air conduit E by way of the water conduits F and F and the apertures It follows that water will flow from chamber G, past valve J and through water conduit pas sages F and F into chamber D by virtue of the head of water in C. This withdrawal of water from reservoir C reduces the pressure within that reservoir by an amount equal to the head of water in C above the small ports 7. When the pressure in C is reduced by this amount, the flow of water from G into D becomes intermittent, being periodically interrupted by a counter flow of air from conduit E through water passages f, F and F and past valve J i to satisfy partially the subatmos-- pheric pressure existing in reservoir C. This intermittent flow continues until the water level. in D, and therefore in passage F has risen to submerge the passage F and, therefore the small passages 7, thus providing a water-seal and preventing further entrance of air to reduce the partial vacuum in C. The arrangement of water passages and chambers shown constitutes a constant level control on the height of water in chamber D, water being admitted from C only when the level in D has fallen to uncover the small apertures f in water conduit F, at which time air percolates past valve J and bubbles up through the water in 0 raising the pressure in reservoir C'and permitting a further discharge of water into chamber D. It will be understood that when apertures f are water sealed as above, the lower portion of air conduit will contain water to the level of the apertures f.

The chamber D of the device being connected with the air intake passage of the engine, as indicated by the coupling member N, partly shown in Fig. 1, the air passing to the engine is constrained to enter the device at d, pass through the air conduit E E, and discharge into chamber D, from which the engine draws its supply.

It is understood that when a fluid, as air, flows through a conduit of varying crosssectional area, the pressures existing in the fluid at various points along its line of flow are directly as the cross sectional areas of the conduit at those points. From this it follows that the pressure at E the narrowest portion of the air conduit E, is at all times materially less than that existing at either end of the conduit E, or in chamber D.

Since the lower end of the water passage F is in open communication with chamber D, and its other end, represented by the apertures f, is open to the constricted portion E of the air conduit E, which is a region of lower pressure, the flow of air will cause a discharge of water from apertures 7 across the air stream at E By virtue of the velocity of the air flow through E the water discharged from apertures f is more or less finely divided or sprayed and is carried on by the air and'is discharged with it into the chamber D. From the point E to the exit 6 of air conduit E, the air and water are forced into very intimate contact, to the end that dust and all solid matter in entrainment in the air may be wetted and absorbed by the water, thus washing the air and freeing it of this material before it enters the engine.

Byvirtue of the direction of discharge from conduit E and by virtue of the low air velocities in chamber D, the water car ried by the air stream from the aperture 7 is'returned to the chamber D, with the exception of that portion which is evaporated and passes out with the air as a vapor content. Thus the circulation path of the water is complete from chamber D, by way of water passage F and apertures f, to air conduit'E, and back to chamber D; The water in the lower portion of chamber D is thus recirculated, carrying with it the, dust removed from the air, until its volume has been reduced by evaporation sufiiciently to break the water seal initially established at the apertures f. lVhen this occurs water againflows from chamber C to reestablish the sealing of apertures f, at the same time replenishing the water supply in D, to maintain the discharge of water from apertures f into air conduit E.

The dust originally in the air entering the device, being'absorbed by the water, appears as sediment in the latter, and settles into the cup 2' from which itis removed by withdrawal of the cap I; It will be under-. stood, of course, that the chamber-C will require to be resupplied with water, from time to time, to insure that a supply of water be available for the purpose of maintaining a suitable level of water in chamber D.

I claim:

1. An air washing and moistening device for internal combustion engines comprising a washing chamber, an air inlet conduit extending within and discharging in said washing chamber with a duct for discharging a water spray across the path of the air flowing through the air inlet; the course of the air inlet conduit being downward from its intake to a low point and thence upward to its discharge mouth whereby there is formed a water trap at said low point, and the water spray discharge being positioned for discharging at the low point of the air inlet conduit.

2. An air washing and moistening device for internal combustion engines comprising a water supply chamber, a washing chamber; an air conduit within the washing chamber, opening at one end for air discharge at a relatively high point therein, and at the other end for air inlet from without said washing chamber; a conduit for water from the water supply chamber, having its intake at a relativel low level in said water supply chamber, discharging into the air conduit at a point near the lowest part of the course of said conduit; the water conduit being constructed for being closed air-tight, except as to water discharge throu h said conduit.

3. n a construction defined in claim 2, a valve controlling the intake of the water conduit in the water supply chamber; means by which said valve is normally closed and a stem by which it may be opened against the closing means; said chamber havin a filling mouth and a closure therefor WlllCh encounters the valve stem when adjusted into closing position, for opening the valve in the movement for closing the chamber.

4. In a structure defined in claim 2, the air conduit being deflected from a straight course in a vertical plane, having its delivery mouth facing downwardly and narrowed in cross-section at the low point in its course at which the water conduit discharges into it. v

5. In a constructionn defined in claim 2, the water conduit havin a branch which discharges directly into t e washing chamber at the lower part thereof below the low point of the air conduit, and thereby is adapted for intake of water through said washing chamber into said water conduit when the water accumulates in said washing chamber above the level of dischar e from the water conduit into the air con uit.

In testimon whereof, I have hereunto set my hand at hicago, Illinois, this 21st day of August, 1919.

PERCIVAL S. TICE. 

